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I recently got a PS Vita (my first handheld!) and have really enjoyed its native games (not to mention PS1 and PSP) as well as its power as a pretty capable emulation machine for certain systems. Since it's much more convenient for me at the moment to play on a handheld instead of a PC or console, I've decided to focus my gaming time to working through a retro backlog and finally get to play so many gems I missed while I was a kid and over the years. Since this website makes it so nice to track such things, I will be leaving my thoughts on the various games I complete in this thread. It's mainly just for my own documentation, but please feel free to comment.

Backlog completions:

Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (PSP, 2006)Rating: 8/10

A 2.5D remake of Mega Man X (SNES, 1993), which was my first proper Mega Man, although I could never beat Sigma as a kid. This version is pretty faithful to the original, and I enjoyed the new addition of playing through as Vile. His weapons-based playstyle and slower pace added new depth to the game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable (PSP, 2010)Rating: 9/10

This is the first Persona game I've played. At first it was immensely stressful, as I thought there would be social penalties if I didn't go to every Kendo practice or student council meeting, and there were so many characters and schedules to keep track of (I used 4 different spreadsheets), but later on I got in a groove and really fell into the story and building my team. The mechanic of pushing levels in Tartarus got a bit stale, but otherwise this is a top-tier game.

God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP, 2008)Rating: 9/10

God of War was a relatively short palate cleanser after the 70 hours I put into Persona 3. The game did a good job of recreating the PS2-era God of War experience on a handheld system, and the combat felt as weighty and brutal as ever.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP, 2007)Rating: 7/10

Similar to Maverick Hunter X, this game is a 2.5D remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood which was a Japan-only release for over a decade. This release also includes the full versions of the original Rondo of Blood as well as Symphony of the Night, so this was a great way to experience all these titles. It took me a bit of getting used to the feel of controlling Richter in this game, and it was much easier with Maria's agility and damage, but I enjoyed it despite some platforming frustration.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (TurboGrafx-CD, 1993)Rating: 8/10

I powered through this quickly since I had just completed the remake. The graphics and music hold up well and the game provides a nice challenge. Richter's jumping and the staircases are still as annoying as ever.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1, 1997)Rating: 10/10

Widely considered one of the greatest games ever, I definitely needed to play this as a fan of the Metroidvania genre. Beautiful graphics, great atmosphere, tight controls, and a very satisfying stream of upgrades and map clearing add up to a nice package. I now see why so many games to this day are inspired by Symphony of the Night.

Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)Rating: 10/10

After finishing SotN I went back to one of my favorites, Super Metroid. This was a nice trip down memory lane, and I was impressed with the sense of immersion the game still provides despite the limitations of the SNES. Truly an all-time classic.

Demon's Crest (SNES, 1994)Rating: 8/10

An action-adventure game with mixed opinions from the retro/collector scene, I have fond memories of this as a weekend rental in the 90s. The idea of playing as a demon in a spooky Gothic world seemed so cool at the time, and it still looks and feels great. There are only six levels, and you have to play each several times to get all the upgrades to unlock the true boss, but I think any fan of SNES-era action games would enjoy Demon's Crest.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (PSP, 2009)Rating: 8/10

One of the highest-rated PSP titles, with a top-down perspective like the first two GTA games. The cel-shaded art style works well, driving is fun (and much better using the Vita's proper thumbsticks), and the missions ramp up in difficulty nicely with only a few that had me cursing and failing over and over. The story was a bit nonsense, especially compared to some of the console GTAs, but a worthy experience.

King of Demons (Majuu Ou) (Super Famicom, 1995)Rating: 7/10

A Japan-only release that's playable thanks to a fan-translated ROM. This game has a similar aesthetic to Demon's Crest, but is darker and more violent. You can transform from a human into a variety of demons after beating each level boss, similar to Altered Beast. The platforming action was responsive and the difficulty felt pretty dialed in. An interesting hour or two of playtime if you want to experience something different.

The Firemen (SNES, 1994):Rating: 8/10

A Europe-only release playable if you import or get the ROM. I only found out about this recently after digging through some "best underrated SNES games" articles. It's quick, at only an hour of playtime, but the intensity is pretty high. The game's broken up into six levels, with you and an AI partner fighting fires and progressing through a burning building. Each level has a short time limit and difficult boss encounter. Simple and well-executed, with character sprites that reminded me of Secret of Mana.

Metroid (NES, 1987)Rating: 6/10

I have tried and failed to play through the original Metroid several times. The lack of an in-game map, and the fact that so many rooms look exactly the same, left me confused when trying to do a pure playthrough, so I just broke down and used a guide. This made the game more of a virtual museum than a challenge, but it was interesting to see the Metroid concept at its inception. I'm looking forward to playing Metroid: Zero Mission later for the GBA, which has a map as well as several other upgrades.

Mega Man 2 (NES, 1989)Rating: 9/10

Thought by many to be the best NES Mega Man. Some of the platforming was brutal, like the stage with insta-kill light beams, yet some bosses were strangely easy to kill. Even with a weapon that the boss is weak against, a 1-hit kill seems a bit unbalanced. Despite that, the game was fun, and the ramped-up challenge of Dr. Wily's endgame areas was excellent.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES, 1988)Rating: 7/10

Another game with very mixed opinions. I enjoyed the RPG elements and sword fighting action against tough enemies that blocked and attacked high and low, but didn't care for the pseudo-random encounters on the overworld map that punished you for trekking around to find the next objective. The bosses, with one exception, also seemed too easy. Regardless, this was an interesting piece of gaming history to play through.

The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1987)Rating: 9/10

A hugely influential game that I had tried and failed to get into multiple times. I took a hybrid approach to this, using a guide to find my way around the overworld but not getting any help completing the dungeons. This gave me some challenge of combat and exploration but kept the playtime more manageable, as I don't have the time nor interest to bomb every square or burn every bush in the map. Kids in the 80s had their work cut out for them! I definitely agree that this game is a classic and look forward to playing more Zelda games, as the only other one I've completed is Ocarina of Time.

It's definitely a fun game! The challenge is pretty steep, and the true final boss is insanely hard. The password to access him also resets your gold and inventory, so you have to farm to be able to buy a full set of spells and potions before taking him on. Even so, I don't know if I could have beat it in any reasonable amount of time without save states.

It's such an awesome system! It's really comfy, especially with a handgrip accessory, and the OLED screen on the phat version makes retro games look really nice and vibrant. My only complaint is that I wish there were more PS2/PS3 ports available for it. At the moment I have 65 games in the proper Vita backlog, which is probably already too many. So many good indie games that I'd been meaning to play on PC are also on Vita, which is great.

The first entry in the beloved Metal Gear franchise, and the first game designed by Hideo Kojima. I'm a huge fan of Metal Gear Solid I through IV, with V in my backlog, so in my quest to play classic retro games I figured I had to give this a spin. The proper version of this game was originally only available on the MSX2 home computer in Japan and Europe, and the NES port available in the US had major changes and was rushed. It wasn't until 2005 with the release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for the PS2 that the true MSX2 version found its way to the American market.

It's impressive what Kojima and team were able to do on the 8-bit hardware available. The stealth gameplay the series is known for is surprisingly intact, although simplified, but the enemy AI is easy to manipulate and there are glitches like respawning items that make it easy to load up your inventory. What's not easy is navigating your way through the maze of the three buildings of Outer Heaven, especially since there's no in-game map. However, there is decent diversity to the room design and the buildings are sectioned into floors, so it's not as bad as it could be to hunt for items and the way forward.

The game feels a bit like a military-themed version of The Legend of Zelda, with each screen being a separate area to traverse while handling enemies and obstacles. As you progress through the base you pick up weapons and items like a gas mask, bomb blast suit, and parachute which allow you to travel to new parts of the map. Boss fights are sprinkled in which force you to fight instead of hiding in the shadows. Some walls can be destroyed with a plastic explosive to reveal secrets or paths to the next goal.

I completed Metal Gear in about 4 hours after many deaths and continues. The gameplay holds up fairly well today, and any fan of stealth games who wants to see the genesis of the entire genre should consider picking this up. I'm moving on to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake next, which offers an in-game map, enhanced graphics, and more complexity to the gameplay.

It's such an awesome system! It's really comfy, especially with a handgrip accessory, and the OLED screen on the phat version makes retro games look really nice and vibrant. My only complaint is that I wish there were more PS2/PS3 ports available for it. At the moment I have 65 games in the proper Vita backlog, which is probably already too many. So many good indie games that I'd been meaning to play on PC are also on Vita, which is great.

It is a wonderful piece of hardware for sure - in an ideal world we could dispense with the back touch pad and proprietary storage, but it's worth a look now more than ever thanks to its amazing library of ports, indies, and some must-play exclusives.

I've got 57 completions (some of which I'm sure I will replay at some point), with at least another 14 in my backlog.

If I can play it on Vita I will choose that version over other platforms. Great example, I waited over a year to play VA-11 HALL-A on Vita instead of PC because I knew the port was coming.

Wow. Metal Gear 2 is a huge improvement over the original game. Despite running on the same hardware, every aspect of the game was upgraded, including the graphics, music, gameplay, and story. To be honest, before playing this game I wouldn't have thought this level of game development was possible on 8-bit systems. Playing this makes me wish there was a 16-bit installment in the Metal Gear series, just to see what Kojima and team could have done with the next gen of capability.

The difficulty is also ramped up, as guards have better vision and now respond to sound as well as sight. This leads to fun possibilities that should be familiar to fans of the series, like tactically making a noise to raise a guard's attention so that you can sneak up and take them out. It did take me some time and many deaths to get used to the pace of the game and the need to use the new in-game map to check for guard patrols on adjacent screens. After an hour or so though, progress was fairly steady and I got in the groove of (mostly) evading detection.

This is definitely a masterpiece and a must-play for any fans of the Metal Gear franchise, but it's not perfect. Its flaws include some severe forced backtracking (including an egregious and excruciatingly long trek from the very end of the game back to the very beginning to get a key), some anti-climactic boss battles (especially the one against Metal Gear, which should have been epic), and cringe-worthy dialogue (especially between Snake and the female characters).

Kid Icarus was never on my radar when I was a kid with an NES, and going back to play it now I understand why. It's an average platforming action game, with mediocre graphics and sound and no gameplay elements that really stand out as memorable or innovative. Thankfully, it was quick and simple to get through and I can move on to other games.

Blaster Master really impressed me! I remember trying this out as a kid at a friend's house and immediately getting overwhelmed by the vastness of the map. That would probably still be the case today if not for the magic of the Internet, but with some help I was able to complete and enjoy this wonderful game.

I'm impressed by the detail that Sunsoft was able to squeeze out of the NES. The backgrounds of each area are beautiful, and the bouncy animation of the player's tank is fluid and feels great to control. This accomplishment is all the more impressive when compared to the flat black backgrounds and stiff animations from Metroid. Some of the developers at Nazca/SNK must have been fans of Blaster Master, because the look and feel of the tank in Metal Slug is lifted straight from this game.

The gameplay of Blaster Master feels like an upgraded version of Metroid with more variety to the gameplay and more challenging boss encounters. There are eight unique areas in a large interconnected world, each one with unique designs and gameplay that highlights whatever upgrade you just acquired in order to get there. The various upgrades allow you to power up your tank's cannon, break blocks, fly, swim, and climb walls and ceilings.

I'd highly recommend Blaster Master to any fan of retro action platformers, both as a testament to the power of the NES and as a gaming experience that still holds up 30 years later, especially if you emulate and have access to save states. As with many games of the era, the difficulty is punishing and there's no save or password system to speak of.

Sega sure did white-wash the box art for Strider's Western release, didn't they? The character looks more like William Shatner as Captain Kirk, rather than a badass futuristic ninja. If I was a kid at a video game rental store, I'd be much more drawn to the Japanese cover which shows actual characters from the game.

I digress. Strider is a faithful port of the 1989 arcade game which was famous at the time for its vivid graphics and fast-paced gameplay. The player character, Strider Hiryu, can perform a series of acrobatic jumps, dashs, and climb on walls and ledges, making the player feel a bit like a ninja.

At the time in the US, the Genesis was the only major 16-bit console around, so the graphics and music blew the minds of kids everywhere who had only seen NES-style graphics up to that point. There are lots of crazy characters on screen, like a big mecha gorilla, flying robots, enemy ninjas, dinosaurs, and Amazon warriors, with plenty of explosions and effects to spice things up. The game also has a few neat ideas about gravity, with different sequences that change gravity's direction and force you to re-orient yourself while taking advantage of Strider's agility.

My only complaint with this release is that its design is based around the arcade game's goal to munch quarters. The difficulty can feel a bit cheap at times with dozens of enemies flying around on screen, all shooting at you. Without save states (or tons of quarters at the arcade), this game is tough.

After the frantic pace of Strider, with all its enemies flinging attacks and bullets at you simultaneously, The Revenge of Shinobi's more methodical gameplay was very welcome. Although a console-only game, it shares the multi-level arcade hack-and-slash gameplay of its predecessor Shinobi. The graphics of the game are beautiful and fluid, especially in the earlier levels that take place in a traditional Japanese setting.

The player character Joe Musashi can throw shuriken, slash and kick at close range, and perform a variety of magic attacks. Occasionally the level design allows Joe to double-jump from the foreground to the background, adding some variety to the gameplay but also causing a bit of visual confusion.

Strangely, some of the bosses are taken from other franchises like The Terminator, Spider-Man, and Batman. Others are more traditional samurai type enemies. The difficulty is high, but based on skill more than luck, so completing it is a worthy challenge.

This game is another blast from the past for me. I never owned it, but played it many times at a friend's house in the early 90s and could barely get past the first level. It's pretty difficult, with platforming gameplay that has you riding different animals with unique skills in order to find keys that unlock the door to the end of the level.

There is some exploration required, and enemies can be difficult to avoid, so I can see a young kid getting frustrated. Now, it made for a fun little jaunt that offered colorful, whimsical worlds and an interesting adaptation of obscure licensed material (an 100+ year old comic strip).

I had never heard of this game as a kid, but many "best NES games" lists mentioned it so I had to check it out. It's a beat-em-up from Technos (famous for the Double Dragon franchise) with surprisingly deep RPG elements and satisfying action that definitely still holds up today. I was also impressed with the game's humor and personality, especially the banter from enemies.

My only complaint is that it's pretty easy to get the money to buy upgrades and max out your stats and abilities, making you an unstoppable killing machine. I killed the final boss in just a few hits, and he was never even able to get up. Perhaps a no-upgrade or limited-upgrade build would be fun in a future playthrough.

I've been playing a lot of Castlevania games lately, skipping Castlevania II: Simon's Quest as it didn't appeal to me too much. Part III, however, instantly felt classic. The tanky control of Belmont, the wonky stairs, all the classic subweapons and enemies, and Dracula himself are present as always. The graphics looked great for the NES and the music/sound effects set the mood nicely.

What is new to the series is the addition of 3 secondary player characters you can rescue on your adventure, each with different skills. This adds layers of strategy and replayability to the game. My usual choice was to stick to Belmont for most of each level, then switch to Syfa the Vampire Hunter for bosses as she has high-damage attacks. The character of Alucard, the main protagonist of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, makes his first appearance here in a supporting role.

If I wasn't powering through a long backlog, I'd probably play this a couple more times to try the different routes and characters out more fully. Maybe in the future I'll return to this game for a replay or two.

Based on what I've read, if fans don't think II is the best old-school Mega Man, they usually think III is. After playing both games almost back-to-back, I think I give the edge to III. The gameplay and stage design benefit from the addition of the slide move, and the bosses are better balanced with nerfed weapon weaknesses. The graphics are slightly more detailed, and the scope of the game feels bigger with the inclusion of the bosses from II in a later stage and a larger Wily's Castle.

The difficulty is punishing, with several brutal platforming stages with tricks like disappearing boxes and platforms that drop you. My only complaint with the game, especially considering the difficulty, is the immense slowdown that occurs, sometimes even without much going on on-screen. This adds a layer of frustration to what is otherwise a sublime action/platform experience.

This is the last 8-bit game in my backlog! Another high-quality title from Sunsoft, it was released as part of the media blitz around the 1989 Batman film which went on to become hugely successful. The game itself holds up well, with good graphics, tight gameplay, and high challenge. The wall-jumping mechanic is fun, with fluid animations, and the variety of weapons Batman can use give some options to approaching different scenarios.

However, it is a very short game, with 5 levels that you can finish in a little over an hour, and there isn't too much diversity to the enemies or areas. Expect to see the same 10 enemies, with a few palette swaps, attacking you in a variety of dark environments like sewers and city streets at night. That being said, the dark and grimy visual style is part of the Batman aesthetic, so I can't knock it too much.

You played a lot of good games. Some of those are my favorited from when I was still a kid ! Mostly Mega Man 2-3, Castlevania 3, Batman, Super Metroid, Symphony of the Night, to name a few.

You must have a lot of spare time, heh heh. You completed more games in the last two weeks than I did in a year ! Hahahaha !

But seriously, you played good games ! That's very cool !

Thanks tiamat911! These haven't all been done in the last two weeks - I started the backlog in August. However, I am completing games pretty quickly. The individual posts starting with Metal Gear are done when I complete them, so I'm averaging a completion every day or two. It's my current project and playing on a handheld lets me get nice chunks of time here and there when convenient. :)

Thanks tiamat911! These haven't all been done in the last two weeks - I started the backlog in August. However, I am completing games pretty quickly. The individual posts starting with Metal Gear are done when I complete them, so I'm averaging a completion every day or two. It's my current project and playing on a handheld lets me get nice chunks of time here and there when convenient. :)

If you like 8-bit era platformers, you should also play DuckTales and Kirby's Adventure. It's also short but a lot of fun ! Other games that I was found of were Power Blade, Metal Storm and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but these titles were entertaining the hell out of me when I was a kid !

If you like 8-bit era platformers, you should also play DuckTales and Kirby's Adventure. It's also short but a lot of fun ! Other games that I was found of were Power Blade, Metal Storm and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but these titles were entertaining the hell out of me when I was a kid !

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I've completed all of those except for Power Blade and Metal Storm. They both look like fun and fairly quick games, so I'll definitely try them on your recommendation.

Sonic was THE killer launch title for Sega Genesis. I remember walking through the games section of my local Sears, seeing the Genesis demo unit running Sonic, and being absolutely floored by the graphics and fluid gameplay. After playing so many 8-bit games lately I got the same feeling upon firing it up for the backlog, and since I never played more than a couple levels of the Genesis version it was a mostly new experience for me.

I expected the game to run at a blistering pace throughout, but the level design actually forces you to go more methodically. Traps are everywhere, and one level makes you explore underwater, where you will drown if you don't stop to breathe air bubbles periodically. The maps are built with multiple routes, and it's nice to miss a big jump only to see that there is another viable way forward.

Sonic is a classic for good reason and a must-play for platforming fans.

I hadn't heard of Metal Storm until a few days ago, when tiamat911 recommended it to me. What a cool game! It's a punishingly difficult run-and-gun with the unique mechanic of being able to invert your gravity orientation at will. This makes for some nutty platforming sequences and tricky boss fights where constant gravity changes are necessary to succeed. The graphics and animations are quite good for the NES, and the environments have a lot of fine details, which when combined with the colorful military sci-fi aesthetic makes for an almost psychedelic feeling.

This was another suggestion by tiamat911. It's an action-platformer with open-ended level selection (like Mega Man) and the ability to upgrade your character with weapon power-ups and a robot suit. In each of the six levels you must find a contact person to give you an ID key which unlocks the boss room. There is a bit of exploration required, as the contact and the boss room are often on different areas of the map, and maps can sprawl for dozens of screens in any given direction.

This was a fun and fairly easy game. With a fully upgraded weapon and the robot suit, you can obliterate most anything as soon as it shows up on screen, and the bosses are fairly straightforward. I appreciated this after the brutal difficulty of Metal Storm.